A day tour in Nairobi ideas

Old Oct 22nd, 2021, 09:20 AM
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A day tour in Nairobi ideas

We are going on an 8 day safari in Tanzania in Feb. We land at 10p and the next morning have all day to hang out. It seems like going to the Elephant orphanage and giraffe center might be overkill since we will be on safari in the next couple of days, no? In South Africa we saw a medicine man and it was a highlight of our trip. Is something like this available? What about visiting a local tribe - hopefully that isn’t touristy? Recommendations for anything is welcome? FYI…there is 6 of us.
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Old Oct 22nd, 2021, 11:01 AM
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I've never visited the giraffe center myself but the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (where the orphaned elephant nursery is) is extraordinary. You can go for the 11:00 am public visit and see the herd of mini elephants have their giant milk bottles and roll about in the mud bath. It's really quite good fun, especially seeing so many little ones with very large personalities. They haven't started doing foster parents visits again, which is a 5 pm visit when you get to see them come in for the night and go to bed in the stables, and you can walk up to the stables to get close to them. They may start that up if restrictions continue to be lifted. It is really nothing like going on safari and is a whole lot of fun. I highly recommend it. The public visit is a small fee but all in support of their cause.
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Old Oct 23rd, 2021, 04:44 PM
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The elephant orphanage and the giraffe center are nothing like Safari. Totally different experiences, and both amazing. It won't be overkill. A third amazing thing is the Nairobi Animal Orphanage -- Nairobi Animal Orphanage | Kenya Wildlife Service .

Really cool to see these animals up close and personal, in an orphanage that is doing good work rather than an inhumane zoo. It won't be overkill.

The Karen Blixen house is also popular and nearby. Never read any of her books and didn't care much about her -- not my cup of tea.

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Old Oct 23rd, 2021, 06:29 PM
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Ok - what about the Kazuri Bead factory? There is 3 women and 3 men going on this day excursion. We could do the orphanage and the bead factory. He is also recommending the bomas but that looks to be a little too long. I just wonder if the guys would be bored at the factory?
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Old Oct 24th, 2021, 04:44 AM
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Originally Posted by ccarlson
Ok - what about the Kazuri Bead factory? There is 3 women and 3 men going on this day excursion. We could do the orphanage and the bead factory. He is also recommending the bomas but that looks to be a little too long. I just wonder if the guys would be bored at the factory?
To each his own, and I've never been to either, but the bead factory seems like a waste of valuable time that could be spent seeing things unique to Nairobi. Do you really need to go all the way to Africa to see people making beads? You can go to your kids' or grandkids' preschool and see people making beads. The bomas seem fake, and I'm not into made-for-tourists fake cultural displays. To each his own, though...
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Old Oct 24th, 2021, 09:15 AM
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I haven't made it to the bead factory yet but folks I know who have gone love it and actually return. It's run by people making their income and doing this for tourists and I'm told it's a very impressive operation and especially great for gifts to bring home (that won't take up room in your luggage!) I tend to hunker down in Nairobi National Park when I'm in the city so I haven't seen anything beyond Sheldricks but I think I'd want to go here on my next visit.
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Old Oct 24th, 2021, 11:33 AM
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Over the course of a few stops in Nairobi, I've visited the Giraffe Center, Sheldrick's, the Karen Blixen House, and the Nairobi National Museum (plus the Snake Park, which isn't my thing but is really close to the museum). I've enjoyed them all.

Never made it to Bomas of Kenya, the Maasai Market or Kazuri Beads.
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